Another question from me - you can tell I've used the car lately, it brings to mind all manner of jobs I may want to do to it :-o

I've got a Gripper diff fitted, which was good for track use but rather aggressive, clonky and noisy on the road. It also screwed up the handling, with so much grip at the rear it promotes dreadful understeer under power, switching very quickly to lift-off oversteer if I back off at all (more than the standard Strat behaviour, which is saying something). Have messed a bit with suspension settings a bit to reduce that, though not sorted yet. On track, with cornering forces loading up the front, it behaves better.

At a very wet Zolder, the diff was still working a bit too hard, kicking the back sideways every now and then as it appeared to have some lock-up between the wheels on long curves. Maybe, or maybe not, related, I was finding that gear changing got harder once the car/box had warmed up. That might mean gearbox on the way out though I don't know if it is the case or not.

Will look at changing the box oil and putting in fresh oil, with friction modifier for the lsd, to see if the gear change and diff behaviour improves.

Any other comments or experiences of the Gripper diff out there?

Other option I am considering would be to fit a Q2 viscous-type diff onto my spare gearbox and swap over the to that. Fitting an uprated clutch whilst doing it, because I do not enjoy gearbox swaps on the Hawk.

Question is, with the Alfa 164 24v, five-speed gearbox: does the speedo drive still work if a Q2 diff is fitted into the tramsmission?

If not, what have others done about the speedo?

Thanks in advance,
John Rutter